15 March 2019
Anyone wondering why George Romanes, Community Pharmacist in Duns, seems to have an even bigger smile on his face these days need look no further than the 2019 Scottish Pharmacist Awards.
Held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, the glittering social event last month witnessed the cream of Scotland's pharmacy sector gather to celebrate the achievements of their community and hospital colleagues.
These were the tenth annual awards and covered every aspect of the work prevalent in Scottish pharmacy today and, as always, a huge number of entries flooded in from every health board in Scotland across all award categories
It was George's "ability to look ahead", his desire to "push the boundaries of practice" and the fact that he has been "an early adopter of innovation - both in terms of service development and technology" that saw him rewarded with the much-coveted Outstanding Contribution to Pharmacy Award, sponsored by EMIS Health.
During his speech on the evening, Professor Harry McQuillan, CEO at Community Pharmacy Scotland, said: "It's George's dedication to his community, to his patients and to his staff that have been behind this award. He really is at the forefront of the profession and is still pushing forward, so he was an obvious winner tonight."
Alison Wilson, Director of Pharmacy at NHS Borders, said: "This award is great recognition for George's dedication to Pharmacy over the past 40 years. He consistently goes above and beyond in serving the people of the Borders with high quality and efficient pharmaceutical services and I am very happy that all his hard work has been recognised."
Speaking on the night about receiving the accolade, George said: "I'm really pleased to be chosen for this award tonight, it's fantastic. It's also great to be the tenth recipient of it and it's great for community pharmacy in general."
More than 400 professionals flocked to the capital conference centre for what is the pharmacy profession in Scotland's leading awards ceremony.
A full list of the winners and those shortlisted is available on the Scottish Pharmacist website.